Grain Insights

The Grain Hedge Team provides a macro-focused daily view of the world’s grain markets. Kevin McNew, President of Grain Hedge and GeoGrain, received a bachelor’s degree from Oklahoma State University and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from North Carolina State University. He spent 10 years as a Professor of Economics with the University of Maryland and Montana State University focusing on commodity markets and is widely regarded for his ability to boil-down complex economic situations into easy-to-understand concepts for applied life. Cody Bills received his Business Administration degree, concentrating on finance, from the University of Vermont. Beginning his career as an analyst for a local investment firm, Cody’s insight and understanding of the grain markets has led to national publication as well as an invitation to host Grain TV daily and be a regular guest on AgWeb Radio.

Grains Find Positive Territory

Mar 19, 2013

Grain futures managed positive gains in the overnight session after suffering steep losses across much of the complex on Monday. Soybeans and corn were up 4 cents while wheat posted a 2-cent gain.

Nearby May corn futures reached its highest level since February 6th trading up to $7.24 in the overnight session. News from Taiwan that they were seeking a 23,000MT cargo of corn from the US helped provide small boost. However, exports in general continue to underperform with Monday’s USDA export inspections putting the year-to-date pace still below USDA’s annual projection by 24 MB.

For beans, China announced they were canceling 2 MMT of Brazilian soybeans due to shipment delays. The cargos were to be shipped in January and February, and traders in China now expect to substantially increase shipments into April through June, although it remains to be seen where those beans will be sourced from. Brazil’s port congestion is reported to have waiting time for ships to load beans stretching to around 40 days. Even so, news of late on US exports has been dismal, and US Gulf basis levels have backed off sharply falling 20-cents a bushel in the past week on sluggish demand.

In wheat, crop conditions improved again this week in Oklahoma and Kansas but slipped in Texas and Colorado’s first report of the season showed only 12% of the winter wheat crop in good-to-excellent condition. In international markets, India announced a 65,000 MT tender to export wheat in its ongoing effort to cut its huge stockpiles, while Bangladesh was seeking a 50,000 MT shipment of wheat.